Singapore executes 'intellectually disabled' Malaysian man for drug offences

Lawyers and activists said Nagaenthran Dharmalingam's IQ was 69, a level recognised as an intellectual disability

An activist protests at a candlelit vigil against the execution of Malaysian citizen Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, who was convicted of a drug offence 11 years ago in Singapore but had been diagnosed as intellectually disabled, outside Singapore's embassy in Kuala Lumpur. EPA

His lawyers had filed successive appeals against his death penalty, saying he was intellectually disabled. Reuters

His brother Navin Kumar said the execution had been carried out in Singapore. He said the body would be sent back to Malaysia for a funeral in Ipoh. Reuters

Angelia Pranthaman, sister of Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, another Malaysian drug trafficker facing death sentence, cries at the vigil for Nagaenthran Dharmalingam in Kuala Lumpur. Reuters

Dharmalingam's mother filed a last-minute legal challenge to halt her son's execution but it was dismissed by the Singapore Court of Appeal. EPA

At the end of the hearing, Nagaenthran and his family reached through a gap in a glass screen to grasp each others' hands tightly as they wept. EPA

About 300 people held a candlelight vigil at a Singapore park on Monday to protest against the hanging. EPA

Anti-death penalty group Reprieve called the execution a 'tragic miscarriage of justice'. Reuters

Panchalai Supermaniam, mother of Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, weeps as she thanks supporters and activists after her last-ditch challenge was dismissed, outside the Supreme Court in Singapore. Reuters

Another vigil was held outside the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday evening appealing for clemency, with one protester carrying a placard reading 'Singapore spare Nagaenthran the noose. Reuters

The Singapore government says the death penalty is a deterrent against drug trafficking and most of its citizens support capital punishment. AFP

A Malaysian man convicted of drug trafficking has been executed in Singapore despite his mother's claims he had an intellectual disability.

Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, 34, had been on death row for more than 10 years for trafficking 44 grams of heroin into Singapore, which has some of the world's toughest drugs laws.

His lawyers had filed multiple appeals against his execution, saying he was intellectually disabled.

His brother Navin Kumar, 22, told Reuters the execution had been carried out. He said the body would be sent back to Malaysia for a funeral in the town of Ipoh.

A Singapore court on Tuesday turned down a legal challenge put forward by Nagaenthran's mother, clearing the way for the execution by hanging.

At the end of the hearing, Nagaenthran and his family reached through a gap in a glass screen to grasp each others' hands tightly as they wept.

His cries of "ma" could be heard around the courtroom, Reuters said.

About 300 people held a candlelight vigil at a Singapore park on Monday to protest against the planned hanging.

Anti-death penalty group Reprieve called the execution a "tragic miscarriage of justice". It said it could be a "watershed moment" for opposition against the death penalty in Singapore.

A vigil was also held outside the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday evening appealing for clemency, with one protester carrying a placard reading "Singapore spare Nagaenthran the noose".

"We are unspeakably heartbroken at this incredible cruelty," Amnesty International Malaysia said on Twitter, calling for the fight against the death penalty to continue in his memory.

Nagaenthran's case attracted world attention, with a group of UN experts and British billionaire Richard Branson joining Malaysia's prime minister and human rights activists to urge Singapore to commute his sentence.

His lawyers and activists said Nagaenthran's IQ was found to be 69, a level recognised as an intellectual disability.

The courts determined he knew what he was doing at the time of his crime and ruled there was no admissible evidence showing any decline in his mental condition.

The Singapore government says the death penalty is a deterrent against drug trafficking and most of its citizens support capital punishment.